When Hearing God Isn’t the Problem—Honesty Is
A lot of us say we can’t hear God, or we’re not sure if what we’re hearing is really Him. But the truth is, God is not silent. The issue often isn’t that He stopped speaking—it’s that many of us have gotten used to filtering His voice through fear, distraction, or what we’ve already decided we want the answer to be. So when life gets heavy, and the questions start piling up, we assume heaven is quiet. But it’s not.
James 1:5 (NLT) reminds us, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” That shifts everything. Because it means God isn’t offended by our questions—He invites them. Especially the tough ones. The ones we don’t ask out loud. The ones that make us sit still long enough to actually hear what He’s saying back. Sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re not asking God anything… it’s that we’re not willing to ask Him that question, the one that might change everything.
The Questions That Don’t Just Ask for Direction, but Deal With Us
The tough questions are usually not complicated, but they are uncomfortable. Things like, “God, is this really where I’m supposed to be?” or “Am I holding on to something You already told me to release?” or even “Why do I keep repeating the same cycle?” And not only those. Sometimes it’s “Have I matured enough to handle marriage?” or “Am I giving as much as I want to receive?” These are the kinds of questions that don’t just ask for information—they ask for correction. And that’s where we start realizing we’re not just asking God to guide us, we’re asking Him to confront us.
When we bring those questions to God, we’re reminded that He doesn’t leave us guessing or running in circles. He’s not the kind of God who leaves His children hanging. He promises to guide us with clarity and instruction. But we need to remember that He is the One who does the leading, and our responsibility is to follow. It’s a partnership. God’s part is to guide, and our part is to slow down long enough to listen and then do what He says.
Psalm 32:8 (NLT) tells us, “The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’” Sometimes the answer we want isn’t the answer we need. But God loves us enough to tell us the truth and lead us in the right direction, even when that direction is difficult.
Some of us expect God’s guidance to arrive in dramatic ways. But Scripture shows that His voice is often recognized not through volume, but through relationship and attentiveness. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NLT) says, “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”
When God Speaks, but It Doesn’t Sound Like What We Expected
The truth is, we don’t struggle with God speaking—we struggle with sitting still long enough to recognize His voice when it’s not what we expected. God will answer, but sometimes His answer comes through conviction, redirection, or seasons where He allows us to sit with what He’s already said until we’re ready to respond. And that’s where the real issue shows up. Not in whether God is speaking, but whether we’re willing to keep asking when the answers start to challenge us instead of comforting us.
So maybe the shift isn’t about trying harder to hear God, but about being willing to ask Him the questions we’ve been avoiding. The ones that expose motive, direction, and what we’ve been holding onto longer than we should. Because when we stop filtering our questions and start bringing them straight to Him, we start realizing God hasn’t been silent—we’ve just been selective. And that’s where things start to get real. Because when God starts dealing with what’s underneath our decisions, habits, and patterns, the conversation is no longer about information. It’s about transformation. Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT) reminds us that He searches “all hearts and examine secret motives.” And once that happens, we don’t walk away the same. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Asking God the Tough Questions”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2026. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.